Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Bacon Fat Spice Cookies

I made Bacon Fat Spice Cookies today.
Notes:
Used whole wheat flour and substituted one of the Tbls of molasses with maple syrup cuz I didn't have enough; my batter was more crumbly than gloppy. 10 mins seemed like it wouldn't be enough in the oven but 15 seemed too much; not a super soft cookie but still yummy! I think I could've skipped the salt; I used grease from hickory smoked bacon.

Didn't use any ginger since I didn't have any. I was wishing I had that owl grater I saw at Nora when I went to visit a friend who worked there...and some fresh ginger.

It looked a little bit like this, except metal, and $60. This one was on etsy.com
Keep cookies soft by storing in airtight container or bag as soon as you can. I heard putting slices of apples in there too helps.

Friday, January 18, 2013

baked bacon

yeah i did this...2 days in a row! Even ate it an hour before yoga accompanied by english muffins with ricotta cheese & red currant jam and some green juice made with frozen pears from our neighborhood tree, a bunch of greens and some Vruit.
And coffee, of course.

Needless to say, it wasn't my most energized yoga practice ever.
Now that I made baked bacon twice, I have enough grease to make...Bacon Fat Spice Cookies YES!



Crispy Oven-Baked Bacon (recipe copy-pasted from this link)
Want to make perfect crispy bacon without all the mess? The simplest, most foolproof way to do it is to bake it in the oven.

Time required: 20 minutes



Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later. Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses. I like to pour it through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to filter out any crunchy bits.

Tips:

Don't pre-heat the oven! Make sure the oven is cold when you put the bacon in.

Keep your eye on the bacon during the final few minutes of cooking to make sure that it doesn't burn. Also, remove the cooked bacon from the hot pan right away. The heat from the pan and the hot bacon fat will continue cooking the bacon.

You can slightly undercook the bacon, then cool it and freeze it in a zipper bag. Then, to reheat, cook two slices in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds or so.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

1.13.13 dinner

Indian Spiced Black Bean Burger (without bun)
Basic Burger:
1 14oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 egg
1/3 cup plain bread crumb (i put in corn meal instead)
Cooking spray (used olive oil)
Seasoning:
1/2 small onion (finely diced)
1 jalapeno (finely diced)
1 tablespoon Vindaloo style curry paste (just used what I though was curry powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (didn't have any)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (didn't have any so added fresh chopped)
1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients (excluding oil) to a mixing bowl
Mix with a spoon to distribute seasoning
Crush beans with a potato masher or the back or a fork until about half of them are crushed and filling will hold together
Score bean mixture in bowl into 4 even sections
Form each section into a 1/2 inch thick patty
Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and spray generously with cooking spray
Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until patties are crispy and golden


Indian Relish really yummy, sweet and sticky!
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 sweet onion , peeled and chopped
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together red bell peppers, onion, white wine vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook 30 minutes, or until thickened. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Five-Minute Indian-style Cabbage

1/2 head green cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4″ wide ribbons (used half red cabbage, half green=much prettier)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter), or mustard oil, or more to taste
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds (used yellow)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
shredded coconut
optional garnish: cilantro, lemon juice

Heat a large skillet or wok over a medium-high flame. Add the oil, wait 10 seconds, and immediately add the mustard seeds.
As soon as they start to pop, add the rest of the spices and any optional ingredients and stir-fry for 10 more seconds. Move quickly here so you infuse the flavor in the oil but don’t burn them.
Add the cabbage and salt, and stir-fry until crisp-tender or tender, your preference. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Garnish with cilantro and/or lemon juice.
Serves 4 as a side dish

Basmati Rice

yield: Makes 6 servings
active time: 15 min
total time: 40 min

Traditional Indian recipes for basmati rice call for soaking the rice, but we find that it isn't necessary in this case.

2 cups basmati rice (14 oz)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Rinse rice in several changes of cold water until water runs clear. Drain well in a fine-mesh sieve. Melt butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, then add rice and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in water and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered and undisturbed, 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork.


I wish I could've made this too but we didn't have enough milk:
Sabudana Kheer: Tapioca Pudding with Saffron and Nuts

Ingredients: (serves 3-4)

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon small sized tapioca pearls (the Asian small pearl works best for the pudding)
3 cups milk, whole milk (* See Notes)
scant 1/2 cup sugar
a big pinch of very good quality saffron
4-5 small green cardamoms, seeds ground
5 tablespoons slivered almonds, or charoli/chironji
almond flakes or chopped pistachio for garnish
Notes:

Use any kind of milk, or a combination of milk and cream. If you desire a creamy pudding, use a combination of milk and cream, or all half and half.
If you like a pudding of thicker consistency, use less milk for this amount of Tapioca pearls.
To make it vegan/lactose free, use Almond Milk. The flavor is really good with the flavor of almond.

Preparation:

Crush the cardamom seeds (discard the skin of the cardamom) and the saffron to a powder with a mortar and pestle.

Toast the nuts very lightly.

Wash the tapioca pearls; soak the pearls for about 5-8 minutes and drain them. Set it aside and let it sit for about 15 -20 minutes. They will plump a little and dry off, and will not be sticky. (If you are not using the small pearls, the Tapioca pearls will be needed to be soaked a little bit longer; drain and let the big pearls plump for about an hour)

In a thick bottomed pot, bring the milk to a slow boil at low to medium heat. Keep stirring the milk to prevent it from sticking at the bottom of the pot and scorching. Add the ground cardamom and saffron to the milk.

Simmer the milk for about 15 minutes while constantly stirring. Add the toasted nuts and tapioca pearls to the pot and cook with the milk till they plump and softens. This should not take longer than 5 minutes. You will see them bigger, swollen and kind of translucent. Press a pearl between your fingers; the center should be cooked too. Now add the sugar and the slivered almonds. Simmer, while stirring till the sugar is dissolved. Switch off the heat and cool.

Chill the pudding till ready to serve.

Garnish with nuts and serve chilled.